News Archive
2016-17
June 2017
Alan Stanfield MBE
Nairn Curling Club is delighted that Alan Stanfield has been awarded an MBE in the latest Honours list. The membership of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is for services to curling.
Those whose curling horizons stretch no further than the Inverness Ice Centre may be surprised that Alan's participation in the Sandy Gunn League has deserved such an honour.
They should know that Alan is one of the world's top curling umpires, respected internationally by players, coaches and other officials.
He has used his dedication and experience for the good of the sport, to educate and improve umpires within the Royal Caledonian Curling Club and the World Curling Federation.
The award is well deserved, but members are already asking "What next?"
A handsome contribution to "The Stoup" at the next Nairn Dinner & Court is anticipated, and so is a short-listing for the next Webster Cap.
Congratulations Alan - it's great to see your hard work recognised !
June 2017
RCCC Ladies Branch President
Congratulations are due to Margaret Pottie on her election as President of the RCCC Ladies Branch, at their recent AGM.
Margaret - husband of Bob and mother of Neil - has Nairn Ladies as her mother club, but is also an enthusiastic member of Nairn.
She is only the third North of Scotland lady to hold this office, previous Presidents being Sandra South (Aviemore) in 1982-83, and Brenda MacIntyre (Belmaduthy) in 2010-11.
The Club wishes Margaret a successful presidential year.
May 2017
Ellis Allan
Nairn members will be saddened to learn of the passing of Ellis Allan at Kirkcaldy on the 24th of May.
Ellis was a member of Dalcross, but his cheerful face was familiar to many around the North of Scotland, not only as a shrewd auctioneer, but as the keenest of curlers.
Ellis was a stalwart of Dalcross for over thirty years, and played third for the late Duncan McPherson in a very successful rink. In 1993 he was a member of the rink that won the Scottish Senior Men's Championship.
Rest In Peace.
May 2017
Mike McInnes Receives Award
Mike McInnes, a stalwart of Nairn CC for forty years, has been recognised by Moray Province with an Ice Diamond Award for his work in curling development.
Mike is chairman of the Highland Curling Development Group - a body involved in coaching new and experienced curlers at Inverness Ice Centre.
With the assistance of past-president Hamish Clark he has also been responsible for coaching Nairn Academy students.
This recognition of Mike's enthusiasm and dedication is well deserved.
May 2017
Webster Cap Awarded
At the dinner and prize giving which followed the 2017 AGM, club president, Alex Scott, was awarded the Webster Cap.
This unique honour is bestowed in recognition of a single or sustained period of incompetence, on or off the ice, during the preceding year.
On an evening when he was dependent on public transport to get from his office in Dingwall back to Nairn in time to leave for an important curling match,
Alex became directionally challenged by Dingwall's one-way system.
Failing to realise that on this system, number 27 buses going both to and from Inverness run in the same direction, Alex climbed aboard the first bus and showed the driver his return ticket. Unbeknown to Alex, the driver was visually challenged, and twenty minutes later, as Alex finished a couple of urgent phone calls, he found himself in Strathpeffer.
There was no return bus which would allow him to make it back to Nairn in time for his lift!
March 2017
Sandy Gunn League & Millenium Trophy Winners 2016-17
Clear winners of this season's Sandy Gunn League are the rink of Hamish Clark (skip), Alan Bulcraig, Ally Tunstall and Scott Fraser.
Hamish's team were undefeated, with seven wins and one draw to their credit. However, in the top four play-off for the Millennium Trophy, Hamish met his nemesis in the form of his namesake, Jim.
In the Millennium Final, Jim Clark fell to president Alex Scott's strong rink of Ian Fraser, Robbie Asher and Paul MacDonald, going down 8 shots to 5.
Sandy Gunn League Winners 2016/17
Millennium Trophy Winners 2016/17
March 2017
David Brown Shield 2016-17
This shield was presented by David Brown during the Club's Jubilee Year in 1957, to encourage the development of young skips within the Club.
Recognised skips must play under the command of someone who is not a regular skip in Club or Province competitions.
Congratulations go to this year's winning rink, pictured by George Pirie.
Granada Cup 2016-17
December 2016
The Points 2016-17
A total of eighteen members turned out for the annual points competition for the Whitelaw Kettle - the Club's oldest Trophy. Keith Petrie produced some great ice, which produced some keen competition.
Each competitor played four shots at 8 of the 10 proscribed exercises, and after two hours Hamish Clark emerged victorious with a creditable score of 49 points out of a possible 64.
Mike McInnes was runner-up, with Hamish's son Dean (winner for the past two years) in third place..
The Handicap competition was won by Sid Brown, and the Draw to the Bottle Competition was won by Mike McInnes.
In the absence of the Match Secretary, the competition was organised by Curling Olympic Chief Umpire and six times past winner of "The Kettle", Alan Stanfield.
Alan Stanfield, the most seasonably dressed, presents the trophy to winner Hamish Clark.
November 2016
2016 Eric Brown Bonspeil
This Annual Occasion, when Nairn CC entertains its friends and rivals, took place at the Inverness Ice Centre on Saturday November 26th.
As usual a good time was had by all. Principal winners were a Belmaduthy team, boasting three generations of curling Frasers.
The composition of the runner-up rink and the low-road winners appears to have been lost in the mists of Speyside Malt. Clues can be found, however, in the selection of photos taken of the day by George "paparazzo" Pirie and filed away in the club's photo galleries here .
August 2016
Graham Kerr
Nairn Curling Club has lost one of its stalwarts with the passing of Graham Kerr on August 26th.
Graham was the younger brother of David Kerr - another formidable curler - and joined the Club in 1974. He quickly showed a natural talent and a strong competitive streak.
He served his "apprenticeship" as the lead in the late Eric F. Brown's rink, before successfully skipping rinks in Club, Province and National competitions.
Graham's name appears, usually more than once, on most of the Club's trophies, including the David Brown Jubilee Shield, the Park Cup, the Sandy Gunn League and the Whitelaw Points Kettle. He won the latter on ten occasions, qualifying to play in the Province Points which he won four times - holding the record for the highest number of points scored, with 59 points.
Other Moray Province successes included the Dalcross Salver and the Province League Division One, both before and after the league was split into East and West sections.
He skipped rinks in the National Rinks Championship, and in the National Province Championship, and was successful in the Elgin and the Inverness Superleagues, and in the Highland Week of International Curling.
Graham was the Club Match Secretary from 1977 - 1982, and a very efficient Moray Province Match Secretary in the 1990's.
This impressive curling CV was fitted round a career as a civil engineer. No matter where work took him, he managed to fit in some curling.
The Club's condolences go to his wife, Wilma, and to his son Larry and Family, and to his brother David.
The funeral service is at Nairn Old Parish Church on Monday September 5th at 12.30pm, thereafter to Inverness Crematorium, all friends respectfully invited.
Photo-G.Pirie